flutter the dovecote

== English == === Etymology === Possibly from Coriolanus (written c. 1608–1609; published 1623) by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616), Act V, scene vi (spelling modernized): “[L]ike an eagle in a dovecote, I / Fluttered your Volcians in Corioles.” === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌflʌtə ðə ˈdʌvkɒt/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/, [-ɾɚ-] Hyphenation: flut‧ter the dove‧cote === Verb === flutter the dovecote (third-person singular simple present flutters the dovecote, present participle fluttering the dovecote, simple past and past participle fluttered the dovecote) (idiomatic) To create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited. ==== Alternative forms ==== flutter the dovecot flutter the dovecotes ==== Derived terms ==== flutter in the dovecote (probably) ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== put the cat among the pigeons === References ===